1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the general field of chassis mounting for an electronic apparatus and particularly to a chassis captivation arrangement for an optimally compact circuit design in which the chassis is captivated by interlocking housing portions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many chassis mounting assemblies providing enclosures for printed circuit board circuits are well known in the art. In some, chassis mounted printed circuit boards are attached to a rigid frame and a protective housing is attached to the chassis. Others include mechanical stiffeners for large circuit boards, handle arrangements on a chassis for easier insertion and removal of the board and, a suspended circuit board assembly to attenuate the vibration transmitted to the electrical components. While these known assemblies have some advantages, none facilitate mounting a circuit in which the board and chassis arrangement have bee compacted to occupy an optimally small total volume. A reduced volume requirement is especially significant in electronic apparatus for use in vehicles where the continuing reduction of available space for modern vehicles has forced package size reductions in the circuitry. But, at the same time continuing cost containment necessitates utilization of the same electronic design with the same type and number of components. Thus, the problem is not one of miniaturization by use of custom integrated circuits but rather one of captivating closely packed discrete components in a reduced total volume.